Violence in Japan

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Violence in Japan Introduction

• The basic structure of the state of Japan
• Imperial court emperors and courtiers
• Powerful clans warriors (samurai)
• Religious institutions Buddhist monks and Shinto
  priests
• Peasants
• The warrior class dominated the political
  landscape of Japan longer than in any culture
• Buddhist monks were politically active and
  powerful for nearly a millennium (from the 6th
  century to the 16th century).

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Types of Warriors

• At least three types of warriors existed in early
  Japan
• Imperial court warriors
• Samurai working for powerful families/clans
  (kenmon)
• Monk-warriors (warrior monks, sohei)
• Most famous were the warrior monks of Enryakuji
• The Retired Emperor Shirakawa (1053-1129)
• The flow of the Kamo river, the roll of the
  dice, and the mountain monks of Enryakuji are
  things I cannot control
• Samurai and warrior monks
• the dominant armed forces
• major sources of violence

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Religious Institutions in Japan

• Powerful religious institutions as important
  players of Japanese politics is a neglected issue
  
• Little awareness of religious institutions as
  important co-rulers of the early and medieval
  Japanese state.
• little attention paid to the study of powerful
  Buddhist temples such as Enryakuji and Kofukuji,
  which were sources of religious riots and
  disturbances

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Buddhist Institutions under Scrutiny

• Beginning from the10th century, Buddhist
  institutions in Nara and Mt. Hiei had private
  armies that terrified the courtiers and citizens
  of the capital
• Monks armed with glaives, bows, and swords were
  involved in numerous conflicts, fights, and wars
• monk warfare plagued Japanese society until the
  16th century

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The First Warrior Monks

• Warrior Monks
• Sohei, lit. monk-warriors, priest-soldiers
• Often called akuso, evil monks
• Few of them were ordained, but all subject to
  monastic rule
• Inhabited in a number of large monasteries to
  which thousands of monks were attached
• In Nara, the southern capital, before 794
• Todaiji, Kofukuji
• In Heian (Kyoto), between 794 and 1185
• Mt. Hiei (Enryakuji), Onjoji

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Enryakuji as a Powerful Monasteries

• Enryakuji
• A large Buddhist temple built in 788 AD
• Located on Mt. Hiei northeast of Kyoto, which
  became Japans capital in 794
• Headquarter of the Tendai Buddhism, surrounded by
  3000 buildings that constituted the monastery
  complex of Mt. Hiei
• Owned much property in places near the mountain
  wealthy and had private armed forces
• Enjoyed imperial favor and served as the
  protector of the state

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Formation of Warrior Monks

• Reasons
• Protected the temple from being intruded and its
  land encroached
• Protested against emperors appointment of new
  temples Zasu, the head abbot, whom the temple
  disapproved
• Stopped other religious institutions from sharing
  their privileges
• Forced or coerced those who benefited from the
  temples loans but did not pay their debts back
• Harassed and terrified people to assure their
  military might

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Early Temple Feuds

• Primarily because of political struggle between
  rival temples
• First violent incident 969 AD
• Kofukujis and Todaijis dispute over the
  jurisdiction of temple lands resulted in the
  death of several Kofukuji monks
• Succeeding violent incident 970
• Enryakuji used force to settle a dispute with the
  Gion shrine in Kyoto

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Enryakujis Warrior Monks

• Ryogen, the 18th abbot of Enryakuji, decided to
  maintain a permanent fighting force at Mt. Hiei,
  which was arguably the first of warrior monk
  armies
• Warrior monks in two rival factions in Mt. Hiei
• Ryogen-Ennin faction
• Gishin-Enchi faction
• Conflicts between the two factions resulted in
  Mt. Hieis Tendai Buddhism split
• Sanmonha (Mountain branch)
• Jimonha (Temple branch)

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Violence from Within

• The Ennin faction monks drove out of the Enchin
  faction monks
• In 981, imperial court named Yokei as abbot of
  the temple of Hoosshoji, which angered Ennin
  faction monks
• 200 warrior monks from Ennin faction carried out
  a violent protest to force the change of decree,
  finally resulting in the removal of Yokei as the
  abbot of Hooshoji
• In 989, emperor appointed Yokei abbot of
  Enryakuji, causing uproar of the Ennnin faction
  monks. They forced Yokei to resign after
  confronting warriors sent from imperial court
• In 993, Enchin faction monks took revenge on
  Ennin faction, marched on Mt. Hiei, and burnt
  Ennins temple. Ennin factions retaliation
  caused 1000 Enchin faction monks to flee to
  Miidera (Onjoji)

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Enryakuji, Miidera, and the Samurai

• 1039, bloody fight took place between warrior
  monks from Enryakuji and samurai summoned by
  officials
• Cause
• incumbent abbot of Miidera was names zasu of
  Enryakuji
• 3,000 enraged monks from Mt. Hiei descended on
  the residence of Fujiwara Yorimich to demand
  change of appointment
• Result
• Violent fight between warrior monks and the
  summoned samurai took place
• Fujiwara gave me and renamed the Mt. Hiei
  candidate as zasu

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Warrior monks vs. the Samurai

• In 1095, thousand of armed warrior monks of
  Enryakuji fought with samurai who served of the
  Fujiwara clan and the imperial family
• Reason
• Enryakuji wanted to further punish an official of
  Fujiwara clan who had interceded monks brautal
  act
• Result
• Warrior monks were driven from palace because
  they lacked the military discipline and training
  of the sumurai
• Warrior monks attacked the capital again and
  brought their displaced abbot back to Enryakuji

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Enryakuji vs. Miidera

• Confrontation/fight between the two was due to
  Miideras ordination right
• Enryakuji denied Miideras ordination right
• Temples of Nara supported Miidera
• 1074, warrior monks from Mt. Hiei attacked
  Miidera
• 1081, 1121, 1141 Enryakuji monks attacked Miidera
  and burnt its buildings
• In 1141, Miidera was burnt to the ground

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Enryakuji and Miidera Joined Forces

• 1081, Enryakuji and Miidera joined forces to
  attacked Kofukuji
• Cause unclear
• Results Kofukuji burnt Miidera
• 1113, Enryakuji attacked Kiyomizudera, Kofukujis
  branch temple, in Kyodo
• Cause rival appointment of an abbot
• Result warrior monks burnt Kiyomizudera
• 1117, Enryakuji and Miidera joined forces to
  attacked Kofukuji again